Welcome back to the Research Review, a newsletter highlighting some of the latest studies from USC Price School faculty and students.

In this edition, researchers examine the rise of crowdfunding for medical expenses, the balance between safety and convenience at public venues, the closure of pharmacies in underserved communities – and more.

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Thousands of Americans have turned to crowdfunding website GoFundMe to raise money for medical bills and living expenses, suggesting shortcomings in health insurance coverage and public assistance programs, according to a study led by Assistant Professor Erin Duffy.

• What they researched: Duffy and colleagues analyzed more than 7,300 U.S.-based GoFundMe campaigns tagged as “medical” to identify which health conditions were represented and what types of financial needs campaigners sought help for.
  
  
• What they found: Cancer, surgeries, and vehicle accidents were the most common reasons for campaigns, with frequent requests not only for medical bills but also for daily expenses like transportation, childcare, and home modifications—many of which fall outside typical health insurance coverage.
  
  
• Why it matters: The prevalence of medical crowdfunding campaigns indicates shortcomings in health insurance and the social safety net, suggesting that many Americans are turning to private donations to fill coverage gaps.

Read the study in Health Affairs Scholar

Public security measures boost feelings of safety more than they cause inconvenience, according to a new study co-authored by Professor (Research) Adam Rose.

• What they researched: Rose and colleagues surveyed 1,614 U.S. adults to examine how patrons of shopping malls, stadiums, concert halls, and convention centers perceive various security countermeasures—like closed-circuit television, security personnel, and bag checks—and how those perceptions influence their willingness to attend events, pay more, or endure inconvenience.
  
  
• What they found: People largely perceive countermeasures as effective at reducing crime and terrorism, with minimal concerns about privacy or inconvenience. Willingness to attend venues and accept costs (monetary or time) increased when security was seen as effective, especially with visible measures like uniformed security.
  
  
• Why it matters: As public venues grapple with threats of mass violence, understanding that patrons are more responsive to perceived safety benefits than deterred by hassle helps venue operators and policymakers justify investments in security—provided they prioritize visible, trusted measures.

Read the study in Risk Sciences

Excluding pharmacies from preferred pharmacy networks within Medicare Part D contributes to pharmacy closures, which could deepen inequities in healthcare access, according to a study co-authored by Associate Professor Genevieve Kanter.

• What they researched: Researchers examined nearly 88,000 U.S. pharmacies over a 10-year span to determine how inclusion in Medicare Part D-preferred pharmacy networks influenced pharmacy closures, especially among independent and underserved-community pharmacies.
  
  
• What they found: Pharmacies excluded from most preferred networks were up to 4.5 times more likely to close, with independent, low-income, Black, and Latinx neighborhood pharmacies less likely to be preferred by most Part D plans than chains and pharmacies in other neighborhoods.
  
  
• Why it matters: These findings suggest that federal and state policymakers should consider Medicare Part D payment and delivery reforms that ensure that preferred pharmacy networks do not disproportionately exclude pharmacies in low-income, Black, and Latinx neighborhoods.

Read the study in Health Affairs

The cost of power outages: Research Professor Adam Rose and colleagues developed a novel method for estimating the aggregate and distributional economic impacts of widespread, long-duration power outages. The method will allow power companies and regulators to make more informed choices to prevent or lessen the costs from major blackouts. Read in Nature Communications

Healthcare price hikes: Professor Paul Ginsburg and colleagues examined how mergers of hospitals in separate markets allow large health systems to drive up prices. They found that employer demand for broad networks limits the ability of insurers to push back when negotiating contracts with dominant health systems. Read in Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

Lessons from Switzerland: Ginsburg and colleagues argue that the U.S. should adopt a standardized hospital cost-measurement system in order to make payment using diagnostic related groups – which categorize patients with similar diagnoses – more accurate. Switzerland, with its REKOLE system, shows how this could be done. Read in JAMA Health Forum

Prevalence of dementia diagnoses: Professor Julie Zissimopoulos and colleagues found that the prevalence of diagnosed dementia in a large Los Angeles County safety net health system was significantly lower than national estimates, suggesting substantial underdiagnosis, or undercoding, in the safety net setting. Read in Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Reducing opioid prescribing: Professor Jason Doctor and colleagues analyzed the implementation of email-based “nudge” interventions aimed at reducing excessive post-surgical opioid prescribing in a large California health system. Read in BMC Health Services Research

Fear, anger and COVID: Provost Professor Wändi Bruine de Bruin and colleagues found that increases in fear during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with higher trust in experts and authorities, and stronger adherence to preventive behaviors, such as wearing masks or social distancing. Meanwhile, increases in anger were linked to reduced trust and lower compliance. Read in Journal of Risk Research. (Bruine de Bruin is also Director of the USC Schaeffer Behavioral Science and Policy Initiative.)

• Research Professor Adam Rose presented his lead-authored paper, “Assessment of Offshore Wind Electricity in California: Benefits and Challenges,” at the 4th Global Virtual Conference on Climate Change on April 7.

• Assistant Professor Erin Duffy was awarded a one-year, $100,000 grant from the California Health Care Foundation to study trends in out-of-pocket healthcare costs in California.

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